From Book to App
Theo the Tiger digital journey begins
“Theo is a tiger full of courage, cheerfulness, and childlike energy – but on some days his juvenile rheumatism troubles him particularly: jumping on the trampoline and climbing on the play equipment is not much fun, or even impossible.
In the story “The-Lion-All-Tiger“, Theo finally realizes that it helps to confide in friends and take medicine regularly.”
Theo’s adventure is also the starting point for the joint project of Rheumalis and ovos. The rhyme book, which was published in 2022, was incorporated into ovos play – with the additional recordings of the audiobook, it became an interactive book experience for beginner readers.
But that was only supposed to be the beginning of the Rheumalis app…
Enlightenment for Children
The companion in the waiting room
For Rheumalis, it is important to make the lives of children with the disease as easy as possible and to approach everything related to it as positively as possible. Since children often lack the language to describe their own pain and worries, the stuffed animal consultation was developed.
Children find it easier to explain where it hurts using their stuffed animal. Karin Formanek, head of the non-profit organization RHEUMALIS, explains: “During our therapy week, it became apparent that the stuffed animal consultation has a very positive effect on the relationship with the doctors and leads to a conversation on an equal footing with the young patients”.
In several conceptual workshops and conversations with doctors focused on pediatric rheumatism, we gradually filtered out which topics are particularly important and often difficult to explain.
- How do medications work?
- Where exactly does it hurt?
- And what happens to the blood after it’s drawn?
With the help of numerous materials, we delved into the topic – the challenge was to find the appropriate language for children so that the app does not come across as instructive, but rather as supportive. The first testers at the annual Rheumalis therapy week were all enthusiastic.
Our illustrator has created numerous drawings that are appealing to children, tailored to the theme and target audience.
Take a peek
A first look into the (already awarded!) Rheumalis app
At every visit to the rheumatology clinic, blood is drawn. From the blood test results, doctors can monitor and record the development of the disease. But for many children, this is understandably the most exciting and probably the least favorite part of the whole examination.
That’s why we’ve tried to not only explain to them why blood is drawn and what is being tested in the blood, but also to make it experiential in a playful way how a blood draw takes place.
Patient Innovation Award
In the summer of 2022, the app was awarded the 2nd Patient Innovation Award by Novartis. This award of recognition is intended for innovative projects by patient organizations and self-help groups registered as an association in Austria.